Every Quentin Tarantino Movie, Ranked

Tarantino wrote, directed, and even co-starred in his 1992 debut feature, a talky and violent thriller about a heist gone wrong that quickly became a cult classic. The director originally intended to make it on his own for a miniscule budget, but actor (and eventual star) Harvey Keitel signed on as a producer after reading the script, in turn attracting more funding and other talent (Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen), and the film eventually screened at Sundance, Cannes, and TIFF before making its way to theaters in the fall. Audiences at the time didn't know what to make of the often-comedic violence—especially a drawn-out torture scene (famously set to the Stealers Wheel tune "Stuck in the Middle With You") that caused walkouts in multiple theaters.

“If Quentin Tarantino's gritty, bone-chilling, powerfully violent new film, Reservoir Dogs, doesn't pin your ears back, nothing ever will...[It's] as caustic as battery acid. It's brutal, it's funny and you won't forget it. Guaranteed.” —Hal Hinson, The Washington Post